National Disability Policy: A Progress Report - 2012

SCOPE AND PURPOSE:

This annual progress report by the National Council on Disability (NCD) provides a glimpse at the current state of people with disabilities in the United States. This report covers the period of summer 2011 through spring 2012 by issue area, and reviews top-level policy developments affecting people with disabilities, including key federal actions and state trends. The report notes progress where it has occurred and provides further recommendations where necessary. The material in this report comes from NCD stakeholders, federal agencies, and information gathered during NCD policy projects.

The report is organized into three chapters based on the broad policy themes by which NCD has organized its work since the summer of 2010—living, learning, and earning—the thought behind which is that all people, including people with disabilities, have the same fundamental wants and needs—to live, to learn, and to earn. Woven throughout each themed chapter is an examination of the impact of the current recession and slow recovery on the lives of people with disabilities, and the unique as well as shared experiences facing military service members and veterans of all wars. Each chapter also contains several lists of recommendations for specific actions, primarily for Congress and the Administration. Many of these recommendations emphasize enforcement of existing laws, as well as revisions to policies and practices intended to improve living, learning, and earning opportunities for people with disabilities.